New Motherhood
by Kristen3
Summary: Set after 5A. Home alone with baby Dani, Stephanie reflects on both the past and future for her family. Fluffy one-shot.


Stephanie couldn't believe her life now. It wasn't just that she was a mom now, to the best daughter ever. Dani was a miracle, there was no other way to put it. A miracle which wouldn't have been possible if not for Kimmy. _That_ was certainly a weird thought. Who would've imagined that her childhood nemesis would actually give birth to Stephanie's baby?

Right now, things in the Tanner house were quiet, which was rare. Jimmy was at the sandwich shop. He'd become a lot more responsible lately. They both had. Having a baby meant that they both had to grow up. That was a subject Stephanie knew all too well. She'd lived most of her life in this very house with DJ and Michelle. Their lives had all changed a lot over the years. Michelle had left California altogether to pursue a career in fashion. DJ had become a suburban mom. Stephanie had followed her own path.

It had been a very long path, and not exactly a smooth one. But Stephanie wouldn't change a thing. Why would she? Just looking at Dani, she fell more in love every second. Now she understood what DJ was always saying about the day Jackson was born. And, years before, Stephanie's own father, the first Danny Tanner, loved to talk about the births of his daughters. It used to be typical dad-rambling, but now, it was something Stephanie understood perfectly.

As she stared in Dani's eyes, Stephanie began to think back on her own childhood. Sharing a room with DJ and then Michelle. It somehow seemed appropriate that she'd named her daughter after DJ. Her older sister was the closest thing to a mother she'd had after their mother died. It seemed no one talked about her mom anymore. DJ's sons had never met her. The thought made Stephanie sad.

"So, you sure have a lot of family, don't you?" Stephanie said to her daughter. She wasn't expecting an answer, of course. But she could talk all the same. "You've already met me and Daddy. And Aunt DJ, who you're named after. And then there's Jackson, Max and Tommy. They're your cousins. And of course Kimmy. She's…..well, she's Kimmy. Let's just leave it at that." Stephanie smiled. She knew she owed Kimmy a lot, but sometimes, it still felt like not much had changed since they were kids.

Explaining Kimmy to her daughter wouldn't be easy. Better to wait until Dani was older to have that conversation. She decided to focus on other things. "But there's a lot of family you haven't met yet. Like Aunt Michelle. She's in New York right now, but she sends her love. We keep telling her to get on a plane already to come see you, but she says she's too busy." Stephanie sighed. Apparently, her little sister's schedule was crazy, or at least that's what she told everybody. Who knew what was really going on?

Once again, it seemed like a good idea to change the subject. "There's Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky. He actually used to live here a long time ago. Same with Joey. They moved in to help Dad raise us. You can imagine three guys trying to raise three little girls. It was pretty crazy!" Stephanie laughed. The stories she could tell from her childhood were endless. Like accidentally flying to New Zealand with Michelle. Or sneaking out to a make-out party at Gia's. Even now, Stephanie could still recall the day she drove Joey's car into the kitchen. There was a very good reason 7-year-olds weren't allowed behind the wheel.

This train of thought led Stephanie to wonder about what her daughter would be like. Would she be serious, the way Max was? Or get into trouble the way she and Gia had? Would Dani love music, or would she prefer sports, or something else entirely? There was no way to know. A part of Stephanie was dying to see what the future held. But she also knew it would be better to just let things take their course. By now, the baby had drifted off to sleep. She gently lowered Dani into the bassinet, kissing her soft forehead. In that moment, Stephanie knew there would probably be ups and downs ahead. But one thing was certain: Dani would always be surrounded by love.

**The End**


End file.
